The field of the invention relates to devices and methods for brewing and/or steeping tea. In particular, the field of the invention relates to devices and methods for brewing and steeping tea that include and/or utilize steam, heated liquid, agitation, and recirculation.
Methods for brewing and steeping tea are known in the art. (See, e.g., GB1069923A; CA2152385A1; AU685073B2; U.S. Pat. No. 6,220,147B1; U.S. Pat. No. 6,488,976B1; GB2386543A; U.S. Pat. No. 6,915,732B2; JP03714800B2; U.S. Pat. No. 6,988,641B2; U.S. 20070059819A1; CA2371404C; U.S. Pat. No. 7,351,576B1; EP1337171B1; U.S. Pat. No. 7,757,600B2; U.S. 20110068118A1; CN101516240B; JP2011130767A; WO 2012024265A1; U.S. 20120100275A1; WO 2012088719A1; U.S. 20120186456A1; U.S. Pat. No. 8,534,186B2, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties). However, conventional methods of brewing and steeping tea are manually intensive and time consuming. New devices and methods for brewing and steeping tea that are less manually intensive and time consuming are desirable. Preferably, these devices and methods should provide tea that has similar or superior quality based on color, aroma, taste, and strength as tea that has been brewed and steeped by convention methods. These devices and methods should also provide a user with options to add various flavors such as spices and extracts if desired.